JFK LIES AND CATS DIE

PORT AUTHORITY THREATENS TO FIRE EMPLOYEES CAUGHT FEEDING CATS AT JFK AIRPORT AS EXTERMINATION EFFORT
INTENSIFIES
AGENCY MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF STATE ANTI-CRUELTY LAW
(New York, Oct. 31, 2007) Susan Baer, General Manager of JFK Airport, threatened in a recent memo to revoke the right of any employee to be on airport grounds who is caught feeding cats.
(For full memo:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/nyregion/city_room/20071030_AIRPORT.pdf).
The NY State anti-cruelty law (http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusnyag_mkts332_379.htm#s353 ) provides that a person who "deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, food or drink, or neglects or refuses to furnish it such sustenance or drink" is guilty of a crime (Ag&Markets, sec. 353). Cats are dependent on people for food and drink and, by ordering their sustenance be withheld, Baer may have committed a criminal offense.
In addition to starving the cats, Port Authority officials continued their extermination effort by trapping some and dumping them at a local shelter. Typically, feral cats are immediately euthanized at animal control due to being unadoptable and a safety risk to staff. Thanks to the heroic efforts of NYC Feral Cat Initiative staff, the cooperation and veterinary care provided by Animal Care and Control of NYC, and caring volunteers, the first ten cats caught in the Port Authority's purge were pulled alive from the shelter. A grant to cover the costs of saving this first group was provided by In Defense of Animals (IDA).
"It's a true inspiration to see the NYC community coming together to rescue these victims," said Bryan Kortis, Executive Director of Neighborhood Cats. "At the same time, what an outrage that the cause of this travesty is a powerful government agency which has not only defied the community's will, but repeatedly and boldly lied to its face."
In the face of tens of thousands of emails, faxes and phone calls protesting their actions, the Port Authority continues to tell the public none of the cats will be killed, despite the likelihood many in the very next group of cats will be euthanized as local groups and rescuers exhaust their resources. They continue to invoke the scare tactic of the cats being an "aviation threat" despite a complete lack of evidence and growing skepticism of the claim. They continue to lie that they never heard of TNR until recently despite a series of emails from 2004 (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/missed-opportunity-on-airport-cats-in-2004/) proving the contrary. And they continue to hide from the public, automatically deleting emails and changing phone numbers.
WHAT CAN YOU DO
Each passing day brings ever more outrageous conduct by the Port Authority - this is not only about the precious lives of the cats anymore, but about the accountability of people who have forgotten they are public servants. We need you to raise your voice once more, loudly and strongly, and let others in the government know your opinion of the extermination effort and the Port Authority's morally bankrupt conduct. It is our last hope for these cats. No matter the outcome, we as citizens must not lie down and be trampled upon by the arrogance of those who have lost their way and will soon have blood on their hands.
WHO TO CONTACT (Please let us know if anyone requests more detailed information on the issues and we'll send it to them)
Anthony R. Coscia, Chairman
Board of Commisioners
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Phone: 732.846.2120 (direct line)
732-846-7600 (this is the general number for Mr. Coscia's law firm)
Fax: 732.846.8877
E-Mail: [email protected]
Robert E. Wan Etten, Inspector General
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Main Office: (973) 565-4340
24-Hour Pager: (917) 788-6277
FAX: (973) 565-4307
Email: [email protected]
The Honorable Eliot Spitzer, Governor, New York
212-681-4580 (phone)
518-474-1513 (Fax)
Email: go to www.ny.gov and click on "contact us" at the bottom of the page
The Honorable Mary Donahue, Lieutenant Governor, New York
518-474-4623
[email protected]
The Honorable Helen Marshall
Queens Borough President, Chairman - Airport Community Advisory Board
Tel: 718-286-3000
Email: [email protected]
Port Authority Corporate Headquarters
(212) 435-7000 (get a live person on the line and demand to speak to
someone about the JFK situation - keep calling until they respond)
TALKING POINTS
LIE #1:
"The cats will all be adopted into good homes."
THE TRUTH:
Feral cats are unadoptable and usually are immediately put down when brought to shelters, as Port Authority plans to do. Port Authority ADMITTED LYING to the public about this in the NY Post article, "Frequent Liars", published Saturday, October 27, 2007.
LIE #2:
"Feeding the cats attracts seagulls and the birds are an aviation threat."
THE TRUTH:
Seagulls are at the airport because JFK is NEAR THE OCEAN!! And because there are tons of trash strewn about the airport's grounds. There is not enough cat food to attract large numbers of birds and there is no food left anyway when the cats finish eating. Cats hunt birds, they don't attract them. There is ZERO evidence proving a link between the presence of cats at an airport and an aviation risk. DON'T BE GULL-IBLE!!!
LIE #3:
"A cat will go onto the runways and cause a plane to crash when it hits the cat."
THE TRUTH: The cats are not located anywhere near the runways. No cat has ever been spotted on any runway. Runways could be easily fenced to keep cats out if this actually was a legitimate concern, which it's not. Ever seen or heard of a jet hitting a cat?
LIE #4:
"We can achieve a cat-free airport."
THE TRUTH:
You can't wipe out the presence of feral cats in a 5000 acre area in which new, unneutered cats are constantly being abandoned or lost and then reproducing, and where there are plentiful food sources. Only Trap-Neuter-Return can, over time, reduce the numbers. The Port Authority's extermination effort is futile and will only result in new furry faces, not fewer. The killing is senseless.

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Comments

Pft, Jerks. OKAY! LETS STAND UP TO THEM!!!!! ;c; MY MEOWMY WILL WRITE A LETTER. EXTERMINATION IS NOT THE AWNSER! i am a feral cat. well 3 quaters feral. But i make a loving pet, I will sit on your knee, Be stroked, will never scratch more than a normal cat!

UPDATED INFO:
PORT AUTHORITY EXTERMINATION EFFORT DUMPS SEVEN MORE JFK CATS AT ANIMAL CONTROL - Animal Activists Vow to Continue Fight as Long as Necessary
(New York, Nov. 1, 2007) Seven more feline victims of the extermination drive being conducted by Port Authority of NY and NJ at JFK Airport were dropped off at animal control this morning. The one day lull in the culling effort provided rescuers with time to find new locations where these cats can be brought, bringing to 17 the number of cats reprieved from a death sentence. Leaders of the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, a program of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, vowed to fight the Port Authority down to the last cat. "They want us to disappear just like the cats," said Bryan Kortis of Neighborhood Cats. "Neither is going to happen."
WHAT YOU CAN DO
This is a marathon - not a sprint. You are our foot soldiers and there are many thousands of us all over the world - everytime you call, email or fax, you send a loud message that we will not tolerate this senseless killing. Do not tire or get discouraged but keep calling and writing - if you get a busy signal, call again. If the email bounces back, let us know and we'll find another one. WE MUST NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS!! Or others will try to do the same. (Next Monday, we will announce the time and place of our next major protest.)
WHO TO CONTACT (Note: we've added Gov. Corzine of NJ - he also has some authority over Port Authority).
Anthony R. Coscia, Chairman
Board of Commisioners
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Phone: 732.846.2120 (direct line)
732-846-7600 (this is the general number for Mr. Coscia's law firm)
Fax: 732.846.8877
E-Mail: [email protected]
Robert E. Wan Etten, Inspector General
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Main Office: (973) 565-4340
24-Hour Pager: (917) 788-6277
FAX: (973) 565-4307
Email: [email protected]
The Honorable Eliot Spitzer, Governor, New York
212-681-4580 (phone)
518-474-1513 (Fax)
Email: go to www.ny.gov and click on "contact us" at the bottom of the page, or use this direct link: http://161.11.121.121/govemail
The Honorable John Corzine, Governor, New Jersey
609-292-6000
Email: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html
The Honorable David Patterson, Lieutenant Governor, New York
518-474-4623
[email protected]
Port Authority Corporate Headquarters
(212) 435-7000
(212) 435-7777
(get a live person on the line and demand to speak to someone about the JFK situation - keep calling until they respond - they're hiding from the public!)
WHAT TO SAY
1. Demand a stop to the extermination effort and good faith talks with the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals designed at implementing a pilot TNR project at JFK.
2. The Inspector General of the Port Authority told callers yesterday that PA is not killing the cats. That's like saying, "I didn't fire the gun, I only hired the hit man." PA will be responsible when the dead cats start piling up, not the shelter faced with no choice but to euthanize.
3. WHEN CALLING THE GOVERNORS OF NY &NJ: Demand the Governors reject Port Authority's new request for major toll increases on all its bridges, tunnels and subway lines. If Port Authority has money to burn on killing cats, they don't need more of OUR money.

UPDATES!
DEMONSTRATION AGAINST PORT AUTHORITY CALLED FOR NOVEMBER 15 - Meeting of Board of Commissioners Targeted for Protest
(New York, Nov. 5, 2007) A demonstration against the plan of the Port Authority of NY and NJ to exterminate hundreds of feral cats at JFK Airport has been called for Thursday, Nov. 15, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm at Port Authority Headquarters (225 Park Ave. in Manhattan, betwn. 18th and 19th Sts., just north of Union Square). The Port Authority's Board of Commissioners will be meeting on that day and are the governing body which can order an immediate halt to the extermination effort - an effort that animal welfare experts have uniformly criticized as inhumane and ineffectual. (See Letter to the Editor, NY Post, by Ed Sayres, President, ASPCA.)
In other developments, more JFK victims may be dumped this week at a local animal control shelter by the Port Authority's hired guns, who were trapping over the past weekend. "We start each day not knowing whether we'll be able to save all the captured cats, but we'll keep trying to delay the killing for as long as possible. In this rescue effort, the assistance of Animal Care and Control of NYC has been invaluable," said Valerie Sicignano, East Coast coordinator for In Defense of Animals (IDA) and Program Director for the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, a program of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals.
Alley Cat Allies issued a statement condemning the eradication program and labeling the Port Authority's claim that the cats were attracting birds as "ludicrous." A snap poll run by NY1, a leading NYC cable TV station, ended with 89% of respondents favoring Trap-Neuter-Return for the JFK cats.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
We must keep the pressure on in the form of phone calls, emails and faxes. We have information that YOU ARE HAVING AN IMPACT inside Port Authority! Those of us leading this effort are willing to stick it out for as long as it takes, whether that's days, weeks or months, but we can't do it without you. Please try to come to the demonstration on Nov. 15 and please read these tips carefully so we can counter Port Authority's attempts to close their eyes and shut their ears to the public:
Tip #1
When sending emails, do NOT write either "JFK" or "cats" in the subject heading. They are screening for those words and deleting or bouncing back those emails. Instead, keep it vague, like "Port Authority problem" or "suggested improvement" - make up your own unique phrase so they can't screen out anymore. When calling, if you get a live person, try to avoid mentioning the JFK cats to the first person you get on the line, but instead say you want to talk to someone about a problem you're having at the Port Authority's locations. Then talk to the 2nd person about JFK.
Tip #2
We're now targeting the Board of Commissioners at PA. When appointed, this Board was given the mandate of improving relations between PA and the NYC community. So they're not going to be pleased to hear about this one!
Keep the emails and faxes short and polite - preferably one, no more than two paragraphs. Let them know you condemn (1) the extermination plan, (2) the lies by Port Authority that the cats are an aviation threat and all the trapped cats will be adopted or otherwise rescued, and (3) the refusal of Port Authority to communicate with the public and their attempt to ignore the community's clear feelings on this matter. Demand an end to the killing and talks with local animal welfare experts at the Mayor's Alliance.
WHO TO CONTACT
Anthony R. Coscia, Chairman, Board of Commisioners
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Phone: 732.846.2120 (direct line)
732-846-7600 (this is the general number for Mr. Cosciaâ€™s law firm)
Fax: 732.846.8877
E-Mail: [email protected]
Henry R. Silverman, Vice-Chairman
Port Authority Board of Commissioners
Realogy Corporation, Chairman and CEO
General number: (973) 407-2000
Email form: http://www.realogy.com/contact/[email protected]
Bruce A. Blakeman, New York Commissioner
Port Authority Board of Commissioners
Abrams Fensterman, Partner
Phone: (516) 592-5858
Fax: (516) 328-6638
[email protected]
Virginia S. Bauer, New Jersey Commissioner
Port Authority Board of Commissioners
Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, Vice President
General number: (732) 590-1000
General fax: (732) 205-8237
[email protected]
The Honorable Jon Corzine, Governor, New Jersey
609-292-6000 (phone)
Email: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html